txwriter

44 minutes ago, mjtripper said:

OMG - I am in the same situation! I am single without children. I usually cruise with my mother. She is getting up there in age. This year I have just booked my first solo cruise. I decided on the W. Caribbean on the Celebrity Equinox, Aug. 24 -31.

I have cruised with Celebrity before and have enjoyed it. I am excited for this new adventure but a bit nervous as well. I think I will have enough to keep me busy during the day. Mainly, relaxing at the pool, getting off in port, going to the beach. It's the evenings that I feel a bit nervous about. 

I don't have any recommendations for your choice of cruise. I just wanted to respond since I am in the same situation and decided to take the chance going solo. Good luck with your decision.

So glad you wrote this.  Sometimes I feel like no one really understands.  Good luck with your first solo trip too!  😄

2 hours ago, travelnap said:

Hope you have a great cruise, but I should warn you, you may get hooked on solo cruising once you try it.  Quite a few of us on this forum have and we really enjoy cruising solo.

Is it wrong to say I hope I do get hooked?  The logistics of planning a cruise is much simpler than some other types of vacations.

1 hour ago, Unibok said:

 

Enjoy! And do let us know how it goes!

I hope to!  😄

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

......so really Disney is more expensive because you are sailing for less time.

I do not price my vacations by the day...I have not for land based trips and don’t see the need to for cruises.  That said, there is always a certain amount of premium to be paid for anything Disney runs.  Their theme parks are more expensive than competitors for example.  The foods in the parks is more expensive than what is outside the parks.  That said, there are little touches here and there that add a special quality to the experience that makes the premium price worth it for many.  One weird thing I love at Disney parks is their restrooms.  They are kept clean despite the many people (a lot of them kids) using them.  Plus, they are pretty.  This is one of those little touches that I enjoy when going to the parks that someone else might never notice.  Little touches add up.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this does or does not translate to the cruise.

I have decided to do the Disney Cruise.  For my first solo cruise, having friends onboard and being only five days were both major factors.  The price really was basically the same for either cruise.

I have always wanted to do a Disney Cruise, and this is the first real chance I have had.  It probably won’t  be my go to cruise line, but I will get a better chance to see how much I like cruising in general.  And if I love it, I can go out of Galveston the next time and save myself the airfare.

2 hours ago, Chad_O said:

I have never sailed Disney but I was a solo on the Crown Princess last year and it was a great experience. The cruise director's staff and a solo travelers meet and greet the first evening. It was scheduled shortly after the LBGT get together and there was an overlapping set of people.  The great thing is that all the other pax were interesting and interested. And they were respectful. Not pushy or intrusive. we had informal groups meeting for lunch or dinner which prevented us from having to go to the buffet alone to avoid MDR pressure. One delightful lady even hosted a party in her cabin which was a riot. I travel solo often and always find it rewarding but that trip ranks among my favorites. Safe travels to you and have a great time.

This is helpful.  Thank you for the well wishes.

Viking is way more expensive than Disney. Their lowest fare is about the same before the single supplement of the highest fare I’m considering on Disney.  Secondly, they don’t have an 7 or fewer day itinerary in the Caribbean (closest is an 8 day Cuba cruise).  

27 minutes ago, kek123 said:

I only cruised with Princess once and will never sail with them again, it was that bad. Couple examples,  Maitre D stated he had to "sit it somewhere" when a woman complained about having a solo woman at her table, staff told me I'd have to pay double for the Chefs Table due to "denying a couple a place", steward stated "you really should only need one towel". I could go on and on. Worst vacation ever. To be fair this was several years ago, perhaps they have improved more recently in how they treat solo women.

Wow!  That is bad.  If I’d had that experience the first time I sailed a line, I’d be very turned off as well and would probably not go back.

I am curious if you found a line you enjoyed more where you were treated with respect.

For me, it would cost the same if I did the same cruise by myself or paid for someone to go with me, but it is more expensive than another line (Princess) I am considering.

28 minutes ago, kek123 said:

Unless you love being around other peoples children I'd stay away from Disney. I hated my solo cruise on Princess and was treated horribly by the staff. Have loved solos on Celebrity and Azamara.

I’m curious...had you cruised with Princess before?  I was treated so well by the staff on my last cruise, but I was with my mom. I cannot imagine being treated horribly by these same people.  But I do know how it is when you go to a restaurant by yourself vs going with someone else.

So, I’m contemplating my first solo trip.  I like Disney.  I like cruising. I thought I might try my first Disney Cruise.  (I’m due for a Disney fix).

A friend of mine is going with her husband on a Merrytime Christmas cruise 5 nights out of Miami later this year, so I could go on the same cruise and have someone to buffer my solo status especially at dinners.  But I wonder if there will be children everywhere.  I like kids but am not used to having them around.

The price is really high to me.  So even though I’d like a verandah, an ocean view or navigator’s veranda to save some money. 

Any advice is appreciated.  Should I try a solo cruise on Disney?  If yes, what room type would you pick?

15 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Unlike other classes of Princess ships, the Royal-Class ships are not terraced & balconies are covered by the one above on nearly all balconies.  

 

They’re also about 20% smaller than the smallest 9’x5’ balconies on other Princess ships.  Some midship, aft & forward balconies have larger.balcnies with a few that are partially or fully uncovered.

 

By searching online you can find photos of the ship’s design & balconies.

Thanks.  This helps!

Most people don't point the camera upwards when they are on the balcony to take pictures of whether there is a roof above, so it is hard to figure out by online photos, and the Star Princess was my only previous experience.  This info makes picking a balcony room much easier.

We had a HUGE balcony in our HA Caribe deck room.  (I know not to expect this).

I'm sorry.  I know this question gets asked a LOT, but I cannot find the answers.

Generally speaking, which decks offer covered or partly covered balconies?

I'm looking to book on the Sky Princess, so there is no specific information.  I know we were on the Star Princess, and the Caribe deck had partially covered balconies that were larger that others, but I'm not sure if this holds true on the Royal Class ships, or if it's just the Grand Class ships.

Any help is appreciated.

I am having a dilemma.  I am trying to decide on my very first solo cruise.  I have only been on two cruises.  The first when I was a teenager was back in 1990 and the 2nd was last summer.

I hated the first cruise, but I LOVED the 2nd one.  I think part of the reason I loved the 2nd one so much was I was in Alaska, but I also noticed this ships are so much better with much more to do now.  (There was NO teen programming when I went on my first cruise, so I was bored out of my gourd on sea days).

I am single without kids, and I usually travel with my mom.  She and I have very similar likes and dislikes, and I enjoy her company.  Plus, I know she won't be able to travel forever, and I like to take her on trips when I can.

For my next trip, I want to try a solo trip.  Mom won't be around forever, I like to travel, and most of my friends are doing their own things with their families. I am what someone else on this board called an extroverted introvert.  I like people, but I also like time to recharge my batteries and don't usually have a problem being alone.  So, I'm doing this cruise as a toe in the water just to see how I like these types of trips by myself.  To be honest, cruises seem like they'd be much easier solo travel than some other options.

One more thing:  I'm not a big bar fly, and I don't visit the casinos.

So, here's what I'm considering and why (date order so as not to give preference in any way).  I'd like feedback from those of you who have traveled solo.  Which would you pick?  Why?  Price is generally in the same ballpark for the fare, but each has either tangible or intangible perks. 

#1

Dec. 7-12, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Magic, 5-Night Very Merrytime Western Caribbean Cruise from Miami

Pros:  I've always wanted to try a Disney cruise, I really like Disney and have not had a chance to do any Disney travel for some time, a friend of mine and her husband will be aboard this ship, so I won't have to be totally alone if I don't want to and they can help me navigate unknown factors, it's a Christmas themed cruise, and I LOVE Christmas, deposit is 50% off right now which is nice.  I hear the entertainment is outstanding, and the dinner rotation intrigues me. 

Cons:  I've not cruised Disney before, will there be too many kids? (especially in dining area), price is slightly higher but no incentives like OBC

#2

January 25-Feb.1, Princess Cruises, Sky Princess, 7 Day Eastern Caribbean

Pros:  Brand new ship!  I loved the Princess cruise we took to Alaska this past summer, price is less, travel into Fort Lauderdale more favorable than Miami to me, Princess beds were SO comfy, and I liked the room set up (though this one would be smaller since we had handicap accessible room for my mom), current sale offers $300 OBC, and I get credits for Captains Circle/loyalty program as well as small discount from being previous guest.

Cons:  More intimidating for first solo trip since no friends on board, will I sleep the entire time and become a hermit?  Unsure of onboard activities on less port intensive cruise (I can find information about the activities but not certain I'd enjoy them is what I mean--in Alaska it was all about the ports). 

One minute I'm 90% convince one way, and a little bit later, I'm 90% convinced the other way. 

I wanted to thank you all again for the replies.  I've decided if I do this plan, I'm going with the Eastern route. 

However, now, I've gone and gotten a new monkey wrench in the plans.  A friend of mine is traveling with her husband on a Disney holiday cruise in December, so now I have to pick between them.  Ugh.  It's so hard to choose.

It would be my first solo trip, so part of me likes the idea of fun with friends, and I am a Disney fan.  But part of me loves the idea of a brand new ship that is just a few months old.  Plus, the rate is slightly better and with All Aboard sale, I'd get $300 OBC for a balcony room, and I'd get two cruise credits towards my captain's circle status.  I'm not a big drinker or gambler so fewer bars/no casino on Disney is a non-factor.  And I've always wanted to try a Disney cruise, so this might be my best chance.

I'm SO excited for you!  I took my mom to Alaska last year, and we had a blast.  (Mom was just shy of her 75th birthday).  She wanted to do the one way southbound, so our port times were different that what you will have.  Her favorite thing was the salmon fishing in Ketchikan.  We went the first week in June, so it's only King Salmon at that time, and you are limited to one fish per tourist.  But it was so much fun.  We had a great guide, Nick who lives year-round in Ketchikan, that was able to put us both on fish.  I caught my fish which was a very good size to me, and then another one was on the line when mom was predisposed, but Nick called it a "shaker."  It was too small to keep and ended up spitting the hook about halfway to the boat.  Then there were suddenly two big kings on at the same time!  Mom was reeling hers in, and I was reeling in the other.  Once mine got close enough to the boat, Nick reached over the boat with his fisherman's gaff  and released the fish from the hook.  Mom got hers which was even bigger than mine, and we were both amazed.  While waiting for fish, Nick would call the local eagles over to feed them, so that was super fun to watch and a challenge to photograph, but I managed both.  If you have time and are interested in fishing, I'd definitely recommend Nick at Chasin' Tail charters.  He was very easy to communicate with and an excellent guide.  Mom and I are by no means experts.  In fact, that salmon was the very first fish I ever caught.

We also did a private tour with Beyond Skagway in Skagway.  It was wonderful, because they worked with us to customize everything exactly like we wanted it.  It was more pricey than some of the other options, but it was really important that mom not be rushed.  She actually ended up hurting her knee early in the trip, and we had to use a wheelchair most of the time (you can see it in the corner of the fishing picture below, so yes we took it aboard).  But it didn't stop her from having an amazing trip.  We drove up into the Yukon and learned about the gold mining history of the area then, when in Juneau, visited a working underground gold mine and got to spend a little time learning how to pan for gold.  (The Juneau excursion was the only one we booked through Princess.)  Fishing and gold mining were on Mom's must do list, so mission accomplished.

I'd suggest figuring out what your priorities are...adventure, hiking, wildlife, history, etc. and then try to narrow it down.  There are just SO many options for Alaska.  Some of the options are expensive, and some of the options are only really viable for specific times (bear viewing is not really abundant early in the summer).

We had fantastic weather for the most part.  Skagway and Ketchikan both started out a little overcast and then ended up very nice by the end of the day.  Dressing in layers is a MUST.  Buy a light rain jacket with a hood if you don't have one.  I love mine and find it very practical here in Texas year round.  Also, try to talk to or spend time with some of the people who make Alaska home year round.  They are a very interesting lot.  I found them extremely helpful and friendly as well.

Most importantly, enjoy the time with your mom and make lots of fun memories!

We had something similar last June when we were flying YVR to DFW.  Our first and middle names looked like one name if I recall correctly.  I freaked out and called AA right away.  I used to work for them a long time ago, so I’m very familiar with some of the rules and am aware that the gate agent can always refuse boarding.  The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in Vancouver with no way home.  

I called AA, and they said it looked ok in their system.  Ultimately,  we had no problems.  

Since the OP is specifically asking about an Alaskan cruise this summer, I'll put my oar in.  I took my mom to Alaska last year on our first Princess cruise.  It was wonderful!  We had requested an early traditional dining time, and we were assigned to the Portofino dining room.  We were on the one way southbound route, so that may make a difference on comparisons--especially if OP is doing a round trip.

Side note:  My mom was using a wheelchair on the cruise, and we received excellent service.  This did affect some of the things I will tell you though since we usually did not sit anywhere where there were a couple of steps up.

The first night, we went to our assigned dining room, and they just seated us with random people at a large table.  I think it was pretty much all anytime dining that night.  We got aboard not long before dinner started, so we put our bags in our room and managed to figure out how to get to the dining room.  What we did not realize was that elevator service (which was mandatory with a wheelchair) would be such a big problem the first night since they were still loading passengers.

We loved the dining room, and used it often including breakfasts and lunches on sea days.  For the same reason we tend to go to the same restaurant at home pretty often, we like the traditional set up of having a waiter that gets to know you.  However, Alaska port times (and a couple of unplanned nap times) often meant that we were not really ready to go to dinner early.  So, I think we only made it to our assigned table a total of one time.  I'm sure our table mates were peeved, and I apologize, but it could not be helped (I was not pushing my mom to be somewhere at a specific time if she didn't want to or needed a rest while we were on vacation).  We did not feel like dressing up on formal nights and ended up on the buffet those nights which was perfectly fine.  I liked the wash stations that the Star had coming into the room.  We also utilized the anytime dining.  As I said, our assigned dining room was Portofino which was traditional early followed by anytime later in the evening.  The greeter knew us and would always take care of us, and we often ended up with the same couple of waiters.  I know that some people frown on people utilizing both traditional and anytime, and I'm not trying to start any arguments here.  I truly believed that we would be utilizing the traditional times more fully, and I figured since the time zone was two hours earlier than our own, we'd probably not want to eat at the later traditional seating. 

If I were booking another cruise to Alaska, knowing what I know now, I'd probably either book anytime OR I'd book traditional late since we tend to be late eaters at home and the port times sometimes made those early dinners really hard.  Plus those beds are REALLY comfy and often require me to take a nap on them after I've been out all day. 

Here's the breakdown of what I would pick based on different circumstances.

IF you like a schedule, need to eat at a certain time for health reasons, have people with you (like kids) that need to eat at a certain time or are traveling in a group that really wants to sit together, then TRADITIONAL will probably work better for you.

IF you like to eat when you are hungry and not by the clock, don't mind changing things up, aren't picky about which waiter you have or what section of the dining room you sit in, and know you probably won't want to eat in the dining room every night, then ANYTIME will probably work better for you.

One thing is for certain, there is food available all of the time.  You will not go hungry.  The dining room is really for people who like the sit down restaurant experience and being waited on.  If you, like I, really enjoy that, I say utilize it as much as you can whether you eat on an anytime schedule or traditional one. 

Thank you all for the replies.  I really appreciate all of the input.

My only Princess Cruise has been to Alaska last year, and I really loved it.  I knew I’d love Alaska, but I was surprised how much I liked being onboard.  My only previous cruise experience was when I was 17 (I’m 45 now) to Canada and New England, and the sea days were just torture, but things have progressed quite a bit since then.  

I really LOVED the Princess Cruise.  I’d like to try a Caribbean cruise to see if I still love the shipboard experience or if it was just being in Alaska that made it so great.  I know it will not be the same.  Actually,   the two are very different, so I thought it would be a good meter on how much is the ship experience and how much is the  destination.

Thanks.  These are helpful.

I think the Southern route looks really interesting, but 10 days is a little harder to do.  Plus, I do want to try the new ship.

What is the time for best chance of less choppy waters?  Also, best time for whales/turtles/ other wildlife?  Does the departure port make a difference for these things?

I know “best” is subjective but wondering about this based on the many of you who have traveled route multiple times.

Seriously contemplating trying a Caribbean cruise on the new Sky Princess.  I have not been to this area at all.

I have no preferences.  Just looking for ideas about why one route over the other.

Thanks!

Have you thought about Juneau Food Tours? I thought it looked really interesting, but my Mom wasn’t up to the walking part of it. I cannot give a recommendation—just mentioning it since it seems well-received and you mentioned eating in Juneau.

We did the underground gold tour. It was very informative and interesting. John, who conducted the tour, knows a lot about mining and loves sharing his knowledge. Our group was small, but it was booked through the ship, so it doesn’t fit your exact criteria. I recommend it though as something different.

I agree!!

We visited the reindeer farm as part of our DIY trip prior to cruise at the end of May. We did not have chance to feed anything but reindeer but did see moose, yak, bison, elk, and horses.

It’s very interactive and a ton of fun. I’d post pics, but the forum is saying my files are too big. Also, it’s an easy drive from Anchorage.

I originally booked our Alaska cruise with a TA. I hated it. I had to do the work monitoring prices then wait for my TA to contact Princess then wait for TA to get back to me. It was tedious—especially on weekends or after hours when I just wanted a quick answer and Princess reps could only give limited info since my booking was with a TA.

I couldn’t see my balances in the cruise personalizer and had to get new invoices when I made payments. It was a hassle. I had my booking moved back to Princess and was totally happy. I had to contact my Princess rep while on vacation to try and get help with renting a wheelchair at the last minute. She was able to quickly answer my question and provide me with options. I never regretted switching to booking directly with Princess.

I understand some TAs are above and beyond, but most are not. If you find a good one, they can be a true gem. The suggestion of booking with Princess then looking for a TA is a good one.